Attachment-plug for electrical conductors.



C J. KLEIN,

ATTACHMENT PLUG FOR ELECTRICAL CUNDUCTORS.

APPLICAYION FILED JAN.13.1913.

1.171351. 0 Patented Feb.15,1916.

PATENT OFFICE.

ATTACHMENT-PLUG FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that 1, CHARLES J. KLEIN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of .Milwaukee and State of \Visconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Attachment-Plugs for Electrical Conductors, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accomspecification. 1

My invention relatesjso attachment plugs for electrical conductors.

It has for its object to provide an 1111-! proved attachment plug.

A further object of my invention is to provide an attachment-plug of'simple, coirc' pact and efficient constructionwherein the parts of the same may be readily separated when desired.

Other objects and advantages of my improvement will hereinafter appear.

In order. to disclose my invention fully and clearly I-have illustrated one embodiment of the same in the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the plug; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the plug; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the plug members.

The plug shown comprises two base memhere 1 and 2 of semi-circular cross-section, carrying contacts 3 and 4 between the same; the said bases being locked together by means of a rotatable conducting shell 5 inpanying drawing, forming a part of this closing one end of the same. v

The bases 1 and 2 are substantially identical in shape, each forming one-half of a substantially cylindrical base. As shown, a conductor opening 6 is provided between the bases, leading to a recess or chamber 7 formed by recessing the adjacent faces of the bases and adapted to house the terminal members 8 and 9 and binding screws 10 and 11 upon the ends of the contact members 3 and 1.

I The two contact members 3 and 4: are formed of flat pieces of metal fixed to the flat face of the base 2 in substantially parallel relation, as shown in Fig. 3, as by means of screws 12 and 13. The ends of the bases 1 and 2 are provided with a cylindrical projection 1 1 through which the end of the contact member 3 protrudes. As shown in Fig. 2, the end of this contact member is bent over at right angles to its body portion into Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15,1916.

. 2 Application filed January 13, 1913. Serial No. 741,773.

substantially U-shape to form a. resilient contact 15. The upper end of the contact member 4 is provided with an-upwardly extending lug l6 and a laterally disposed contact end 17, the same being adapted to engage with a portion of the shell 5 in a manner hereinafter described.

The end of the plug having the conductor opening therein is slightly larger in diameter than its opposite end. This opposite end is preferably grooved spirally to receive the threaded shell 5, and, as shown'in Fig. 2, the contact holding screws 12 and 13 are suitably countersunk in this grooved portion to avoid contact of the same with thethreaded shell. As shown in Fig. 1, this threaded shell is provided with a central opening 18 adaptedto permit-the passage of the resilient contact 15 and the projection 14 on the bases- 1 and 2. Communicating with this opening is a laterally disposed opening 19 formed in the flange surrounding the opening 16. A contact member 20 is attached to this flange by means of rivets 21. This contact member is resilient and bent downward near its free end. As shown in Fig. 2, this member 20 engages with the over-turned contacting end 17 of the contact member 4 and serves to connect the latter electrically with the threaded shell 5.

' In order to lock the shell in position upon the bases 1 and 2 and also to position the latter, 1 preferably provide interlocking means operable upon rotation of the. shell. The means shown include a cut-away portion or -opening 22 near the end of the contact member 20. This opening is adapted to snap over the projection or lug 16 on the contact member 4 as the shell- 5 is screwed down into its contacting position. Obviously when the shell is first rotated the contact member 20 will be carried around above the lug 16. lVhen, however, it comes in contact therewith, the resilient end of the contact is forced upward. Upon continued rotation of the shell, the lug 16 is automatically snapped into the opening 22. Obviously when it is desired to remove the shell 5 it is only necessary to slightly elevate the end of the resilient contact member 20 to cause it to disengage from the lug 16, whereupon the shell may be rotated in the opposite direction and thus disengaged from the bases 1 and 2. When the shell 5 is removed, the basesl and 2 are readily separable sothat access may be had to. the contact members or to the terminals thereof, as for instance, to enable the connections at the binding posts to be changed.

While I have described one form. of my invention iii-this application, it is to be understood that this embodiment is chosen for purposes of illustration and is susceptible of modification Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a longitudinally divided base, a conducting shell threading thereon and holding the parts thereof to gether, and releasable means to automatically and positively lock said shell against reverse rotation after threading on said base.

2. An attachment plug comprising a twopart base, a pair of terminals carried be tween the parts of said base and protruding beyond the same, a conducting shell threaded upon both parts of said base and holding the same together, and resilient means interposed between one of said terminals and said shell for automatically locking the latter against reverse rotation.

3. An attachment plug comprising a longitudinally divided base having a conductor entrance at one end, a pair of conducting members carried between the parts of said base and having terminal portions adjacent said conductor entrance, a conducting shell inclosing a portion of said base and holding the parts thereof together, and means interposed between one of said conducting members and said shell for automatically and releasably locking the latter to said base.

4. The combination with a two-part insulating base, of a terminal member carried thereby, a rotatable conducting shell inclosing a portion of said base and holding the parts thereof together, and means comprising a resilient. shoulder on said shell and a cooperating shoulder on said base to releasably lock said rotatable member against reverse rotation.

An attachment plug con'iprising a substantially cylindrical base, a conducting shell rotatable upon one end of the same, contacts carried by said base and having terminal members within the opposite end of the same, and a resilient contact member carried upon said shell and electrically con-- nected in a predetermined position with. one of said contact members.

6. An attachment plug comprising a substantially cylindrical base, a threaded conductin shell rotatable upon one end of the same, contacts carriedby said base and having terminal members within the opposite GIICl'Of the same, and a resilient contact member carried upon said shell and interlocked in circuit closing position with one of said contact members.

7. An attachment plug comprising a divided base, a plurality of terminal members protruding from one end thereof, a threaded conducting shell rotatable upon the end of said base and having apertures through which the ends of said terminal members extend, and means operable after a predetermined movement of said shell automati' cally acting to lock the same upon. said base and to lock the parts of said base together.

8. An attachment plug comprising a longitudinally divided base substantially cylindrical. in cross-section, the parts of said base being threaded spirally upon one end of the same and having recesses in their adjacent faces at the opposite end adapted to receive the ends of conductors, a plurality of terminal members carried between the adjacent faces of said bases, one of said terminal members having a resilient end and the other being provided with a lug on the end thereof and an overturned contacting portion, a threaded conducting shell rotatable upon the spirally grooved end. of said base, said shell having a cut-away portion adapted to permit the passage of said resilient terminal, and a resilient contact carried upon the end of said shell having an opening registering with the lug on said terminal member and autmmitically engaging therewith to lock the base and shell against relative rotation after a predetermined rotation of said shell.

91 In combination, a two-part base having a conductor opening and a threaded portion, conducting members carried by said base han'ng concealed binding posts adjacent said conductor opening and exposed contacting surfaces beyond said threaded portion, said binding posts being accessible for connection with line wires when the parts of said base are separated, and a conducting shell threaded intcriorly for screwing upon tbe'thrcadcd portion of said base and holding the parts thereof together and threaded eXteriorly for screwing into the complementary receptacle, said shell having a resilient portion at its free extremity for engaging with the contacting surface of one of said conducting members when said shell is screwed on said base.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES J. KLEIN.

Witnesses H. L. Rocxtwnnn, .IEANET'IE S. Bnocit. 

